As a former elementary school teacher, and the parent of a child with special sensory needs, I was interested to learn how the Halcyon school was intentionally designed to meet the unique needs of the students in the program. The Architectural team at Anderson, Mason, Dale, and the construction contractors at FCI Constructors collaborated with the Principal and a Design Advisory Team to purposefully ensure the building met the variety of needs the students have. 

The team was intentional about creating spaces with a lot of natural light to minimize the fluorescent lights that have an impact on sensory stimulation. Anchor was able to contribute to this portion of the project through our work on the glazing engineering for the window systems.

Many of the spaces were acoustically designed to minimize noise, which can often be a triggering time for children with sensory needs. Finishes and furnishings were designed to give a sense of calm and provide students with the areas to safely take breaks. The list of purposeful decisions goes on and on, and all these decisions led to a finished product that is an amazing space for children to learn- academically, socially and emotionally.